


A Serpent Never Sheds Their Skin

by cherryandmapletrees



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 05:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15112529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryandmapletrees/pseuds/cherryandmapletrees
Summary: Alissandra White was dragged away from the Serpents and her boyfriend FP at 17 by a vengeful Ghoulie, her father. Now, after all these years, a note shows up at her door from an unknown source, begging her to return home. She comes back to a Riverdale in pieces, her beloved Serpents are decimated by the recent war with the Ghoulies, and a man named Hiram Lodge is trying his best to destroy the Southside. ((Story picks up at the end of season 2, a couple months after.))





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> ((This chapter is a bit short, as is the next, because I was trying to get back into my flow of writing after 4 years. It gets longer and better, I promise ;) Please please please feel free to leave a comment, I would so appreciate it! Thanks loves ~Abbadon))

Ali was nose deep in work, running numbers through her calculator multiple times as she filled out her latest client’s tax forms when a sharp, loud knock at the door startled her. Her head turned towards the door, but she didn’t move just yet. Growing up part of a gang left you paranoid of answering the door to a knock like that. She waited at least a full five minutes before uncurling herself from the chair, one of the few pieces of furniture she owned, and making her way to her front door. Her fingers curled around the metal baseball bat she kept propped against the wall as she pulled the door open just wide enough to see through. No one was there, but her hand tightened around the bat as she leaned out just enough to look to the left and right. Still no one. Her eyes dropped to the ground, where an envelope lay, her name written on it in bold letters. But that wasn’t what made her breath catch. It was seeing the Serpent drawn in black ink next to the block letters spelling “Alissandra White” that gave her pause. She snatched it up and slammed the door shut as she released the bat and tore open the envelope to read the message inside. “Alissandra. The Southside has fallen, and your Serpents need you home. FP needs you home.” She closed her eyes, remembering the people who had been her family before she’d been dragged away at 17 by her father because he “wouldn’t stand for her being part of a gang.” Big talk from the man who had been part of the Ghoulies before he’d decided he’d had enough of the small town of Riverdale. Ali had joined the Serpents because of a boy, a boy with a ridiculous name, rich brown eyes and dark, unruly hair. But she had also wanted to belong to something, something bigger than her. She’d found that in the Serpents, and she had worked hard to get it. She’d even run the gauntlet, determined to prove that she belonged with the Serpents, it didn’t matter if her father was a Ghoulie or not. They’d accepted her as one of their own, and she and FP struck up a friendship that had quickly grown into romantic interest. They’d dated for three years before she’d been forced to move and cut off all contact with her beloved Serpents, even though she still wore the snake necklace FP had gotten her for their first anniversary and the ring he’d gotten her for their second all the time as a reminder of the best family she’d ever had. And now they needed her back. Well, as they say, a Serpent never sheds their skin. Without really stopping to wonder how on earth someone had managed to find her, she moved through her small apartment, packing a bag. She’d debated going back to Riverdale for years now, but was always afraid she’d never be accepted back. Her worries were gone now as she threw things into a backpack, small enough to carry with her on her bike. She went into her closet, running her fingers over the soft leather of her Serpents jacket, the double headed snake a comforting sight. She grabbed the jacket and slid it on almost reverently, the weight of it settling on her shoulders like a hug from an old friend. Around her room were stashed knives of various sizes (you really could never be too careful) that she quickly grabbed and stuffed in one of her bags, pausing to stow one in each of her boots. Stepping into her tiny kitchen, she grabbed a pad of paper and scribbled a quick note to her roommate/coworker that said she’d be gone for an undetermined amount of time, and she was sorry, but a family emergency had come up and she’d call as soon as possible. Satisfied she’d gotten everything taken care of as well as she good in that short of a time, she went out the front door, locking it behind her. Her motorcycle sat waiting for her, gleaming in the sunlight. She took damn good care of her bike, that thing was her baby. She paused only to put one of her bags on her shoulders and the other in the compartment in the back until she was fastening the helmet under her chin and her bike was roaring to life underneath her. She peeled out of the parking lot, her sights set on fair Riverdale, the town she’d always belonged to, and on the Southside Serpents and the man who last she knew was their leader, FP Jones. The man she’d never stopped loving, even after all this time.


	2. Chapter 2: Return to Riverdale

“Welcome to Riverdale: The Town with Pep!” The Riverdale town sign was the first thing Ali saw of her old town. To her, it seemed like an old friend extending a greeting, and she was happy to see it. She’d been riding for three days, stopping only to eat every few hours and to crash for a couple hours a night. She could have made more of a trip out of it, but she was too anxious to get back home to Riverdale. She’d ridden for half a day and had stopped to eat when her phone had rung, and unidentified number with a Riverdale area code flashing across the screen. She’d nearly broken it in her haste to answer, and when she did she heard the voice of a person she’d never expected to call her: Fred Andrews. He’d said that somebody had scrawled her number on a piece of paper and slid it under his front door with a note that said to fill her in. Her “something fishy radar” had started to go off once her mind had slowed down enough to think about the fact that someone from home had found out where she lived no matter how careful she had been to keep herself out of the system. The call from Fred had just cemented the fact that something was definitely off.

However, it had also cemented her desire to get there and help the Serpents. He’d filled her in completely about the events of their small town after she’d left, up to the recent murder of Jason Blossom, the son of the rich Blossom family she remembered from her teenage years, and the Black Hood murders, to the Lodge and Ghoulie takeover of the Southside and the decimation of the Southside Serpents that had been so bad they were living in a camp on the side of the river. It was like she’d left and the town had turned into a damn soap opera. Snapping out of her thoughts, she started scanning the streets, looking at the changes. Some things were the same, like Pop Tate’s Chocklit Shop, and some things were so different they threw her for a loop. She’d stopped by the White Wyrm and had felt a burning anger as she saw the graffiti sprayed all around the walls. The old Twilight Drive-In, the place where her and FP had had countless dates, was completely torn down. She rode down the residential streets until she found the address Fred had sent her. She stopped in front of the two-story house, and unclipped her helmet, rolling her neck back and forth, feeling it pop as she tried to work out the tension. She dismounted and made her way up the sidewalk, barely noticing the flicker of the curtain in the window of the house next to the one she approached. She knocked on the door and stepped back, waiting. The door swung open a few moments later, a teenage boy around sixteen or so with bright red hair staring in confusion at Ali, his eyes dropping to the leather jacket she wore with a look of recognition she didn’t expect from a boy who was so thoroughly a Northsider it was practically written on his forehead.

“Can I help you?” Ali smiled at his sharp tone as she smoothly replied

“I’m a friend of Fred’s, is he home?” The boy turned and shouted for Fred at the top of his lungs, but didn’t move from the doorway, apparently determined to keep her from coming in. She spotted Fred walking up behind the kid, who she was assuming was his son, Archie.

“Ali, hey. It’s so good to have you back home.” Fred moved past his son and wrapped Ali in a tight hug, which she gladly accepted.

“Hey, Fred. I’m glad to be back, believe me. It’s been way too long.” He released her and ushered her inside, instructing Archie to shut the door behind them. The boy trailed behind them as they made their way to the kitchen, and she could feel his eyes on the Serpent sewn onto the back of her jacket.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you with the Serpents before, but you have a jacket.” Archie’s tone was sharp and accusing and Ali turned to face him, raising an eyebrow as she spoke quietly.

“I grew up here, down in the Southside and I was a Serpent for 3 years before I got dragged out by my family.” Her tone was razor sharp around the edges, matching his, and Archie drew away from her slightly.

“She was one of the most loyal Serpents I’ve ever met, Arch, and I’ve met a few. She didn’t really have much of a choice when her father left Riverdale. She’s back now, though. Speaking of which” and with this he turned and addressed Ali directly “you don’t know who gave you the letter? Or me your phone number?” She shook her head, biting her lip.

“No, and it’s concerning because I’ve prided myself on staying hidden from anyone other than who I wanted to find me.”

“And you don’t know why they had me contact you and not another Serpent?”

“No. No offense, but you weren’t on the friendliest of terms with the Serpents when I left, what happened?” He exchanged a quick look with his son, and Archie answered for him.

“My best friend, Jughead, joined the Serpents a while back. Once the Ghoulies started taking over, kicking all the Serpents out, we let some of them stay here until they could get moved by the river. One of their newer members, Cheryl, is letting them live in her mansion until they can all figure something else out.” Ali leaned against the counter, listening as Archie spoke.

“Do you know where they are now?” Archie pulled out his phone and typed something out quickly. Within seconds, his phone chimed with a received message.

“Jug says they’re all down by the river for a meeting. If you want, I can take you down there.” Ali nodded, looking over at Fred to see if he had any complaints about Archie going with her. He nodded back before addressing his son.

“Do you have a way to get back? She probably won’t want to leave after she gets there.”

“Yeah, I can call Ronnie. She probably wants to go out anyways.” Archie looked at Ali with a ‘let’s go’ expression on his face, so she turned to thank Fred before heading towards the door.

“Drive safe.” She nodded back at Fred, promising she’d get Archie to the river in one piece. Once outside, she was mounting the bike when she saw the curtains of the house next to Fred’s move away from the upstairs window, and a woman stared down at her. A face she recognized despite the years that had passed. Alice Smith, her old friend from the Serpents.

“Alice moved north of the tracks, huh?” Archie followed her gaze up to the window as he got on the bike behind her.

“Oh yeah, Mrs. Cooper moved up here after she got married. To the guy who ended up being a serial killer.”

“You’re kidding. Alice married the Black Hood?”

“Yep. Although in her defense, she didn’t know. He was good at hiding it. No one ever noticed until it was too late.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, a clear signal he wanted to get going. Ali obliged, starting the bike up and roaring down the road, heading towards Sweetwater River. He’d told her where to go, so she went down the same streets she’d wreaked havoc on as a teenager, every second bringing her closer to her family. She found the place relatively easily, she’d been there a few times before. She stopped about 60 feet outside of where he’d said the camp would be, wanting to walk up rather than ride in and call a lot of attention to herself. Archie climbed off the bike, unclipping the helmet she’d made him put on, waiting while Ali pulled off the Serpent jacket and draping it over her arm. Now she wore just a simple black tank top that showed off the Serpent tattoo on her left arm. She was hesitant to wear the jacket into the group, in case she wouldn’t be welcomed back. She moved forward, a knot of tension settling between her shoulders as Archie walked behind her. They walked through a break in the trees, the Serpent camp directly in front of them. Curious eyes turned their way, recognition dawning on the faces of the older Serpents. None of them moved towards her, seemingly frozen. Archie moved past Ali, saying something about going to get Jughead. She nodded slightly, staring into the faces of the Serpents, waiting to see if they would accept her back or cast her out as a traitor.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali could feel the eyes of the Serpents burning into her, the older Serpents recognizing her, shock evident on their faces, and the younger Serpents staring between the tattoo on her shoulder and the jacket she had draped over her arm. She stood there for what felt like an eternity, anxiety churning in her stomach, before the crowd of Serpents parted suddenly, making way for a boy with unruly black hair and blue-green eyes, a pretty blonde girl, and Archie. The dark-haired boy was so obviously FP’s son that had it not been for the color of his eyes, she would have thought she’d been looking at a ghost of 17-year old FP. The blonde, wearing a black leather jacket with the rest of the Serpents, was most likely Alice’s girl; she had the same sharp fire behind her eyes that Alice had, a determination to get her way no matter it cost. Ali’s eyes focused back on the dark-haired boy, who had looked immediately to the tattoo on her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally going to have some conversation between Ali and FP in this chapter, but it felt fitting to end it where I did. Next chapter, I promise!

Ali could feel the eyes of the Serpents burning into her, the older Serpents recognizing her, shock evident on their faces, and the younger Serpents staring between the tattoo on her shoulder and the jacket she had draped over her arm. She stood there for what felt like an eternity, anxiety churning in her stomach, before the crowd of Serpents parted suddenly, making way for a boy with unruly black hair and blue-green eyes, a pretty blonde girl, and Archie. The dark-haired boy was so obviously FP’s son that had it not been for the color of his eyes, she would have thought she’d been looking at a ghost of 17-year old FP. The blonde, wearing a black leather jacket with the rest of the Serpents, was most likely Alice’s girl; she had the same sharp fire behind her eyes that Alice had, a determination to get her way no matter it cost. Ali’s eyes focused back on the dark-haired boy, who had looked immediately to the tattoo on her shoulder.

“I’ve never seen you around before, but you’ve got the mark of a Serpent. Care to tell me the story behind that?” Oh yes, this kid was definitely FP’s son. He had a sharpness to him that Ali admired as much as she had admired it in FP when they’d first met, and she straightened up before answering him.

“I grew up in Riverdale, on the Southside. My father was a member of the Ghoulies-” and with this there was a stirring within the younger of the gathered Serpents, quieted only when the boy lifted his hand for silence and nodded for her to continue. “But as you can see, I wanted no part of that. I was content to stay out of the whole gang life, so I stayed away from both the Ghoulies and the Serpents until I met this kid, FP Jones. We struck up a friendship and because of it, I joined the Serpents. I earned my place with them, I found a real family with them. Needless to say, my dad found out and dragged me out of Riverdale. That’s why I left.” This last bit was more directed to the Serpents who she knew remembered her, imploring them to understand that she hadn’t just up and left them for no reason.

“Why didn’t you come back before now? Why right now?” He was suspicious. That was good. She’d been watching him, and the way he carried himself, the way the Serpents responded to him, it was clear to her he was the new Serpent King. They needed someone smart leading them, and if this kid was suspicious of a woman he’d never met that had a Serpent tattoo but hadn’t been around for the last 20 years and had just suddenly showed back up, he was smart.

“A Serpent never betrays one of their own. I wasn’t able to move out until I was 22, and by that point, I’d been away from Riverdale for 4 years. That length of time was enough for me to assume the Serpents had written me off as a traitor. As for why I came back, well…” She reached into her back pocket, grabbing the note with her name on it and holding it between two of her fingers. “Somebody banged on my door and left this.” The boy moved forward, holding his hand out for the note. She passed it to him, watching as he read over it. He looked back up at her, his eyes curious.

“Do any of the older Serpents vouch for Alissandra’s story?” All the people within the crowd that she recognized raised their hands, and tears sprang to her eyes at their show of support. He turned to look, noting the hands. Turning back to her, he studied her for a moment before nodding, evidently deciding something. “All for allowing Alissandra White to remain a Serpent?” Hands raised all around the camp, the older Serpents throwing their hands up in the Serpent sign almost immediately,with the younger ones quickly following suit. “Welcome home, Alissandra. I’m Jughead Jones, FP’s son.”

“Call me Ali. It’s great to meet you, Jughead. You’re the new Serpent King I’m presuming?” He gave a short laugh.

“That obvious?”

“If you know what to look for, yeah.”

“What do you know to look for?”

“The way you stand. The way they respond to you.” As she spoke, one of the older Serpents, Jonathan, had moved forward to catch Jughead’s attention.

“Hey Jones, don’t you think Ali here should re-run the gauntlet? Prove she’s still strong enough to run with us?” He was grinning at Ali when he said it, so she knew he was kidding, but it still caused her blood to boil a bit. Jughead noticed the flash in her eyes, and he turned to Jonathan.

“I think she looks tough enough. But if she wants to-” he glanced at Ali and she nodded- “then if it’ll help put you at ease as to her status, sure.”

“I’ll fight her.” One of the younger Serpents had spoken up, a few inches taller than Ali with black hair and a Serpent tattoo on the side of his neck. Jughead rolled his eyes, and scoffed a bit.

“Of course you would, Sweet Pea.” Ali grinned, watching Sweet Pea.

“Sure, kid. Give me your best shot.” The boy walked up to her, a bit of arrogance to his walk. She shifted easily into a fighting stance, her feet shoulder width apart with her hands protecting her face and her elbows in place to protect from any blows to the abdomen. Sweet Pea threw the first punch, an easily blocked swinging punch. She retaliated with a straight punch to the face, which he barely avoided, and soon enough the fight was heated. He got lucky once, hitting her directly above the eye with the brass knuckles he wore on his right hand, splitting the skin and sending a jolt of pain through her skull. She jerked back, and as he made the mistake of raising his hands to completely guard his face, she shook off the dizziness and dropped low, lunging for his legs. Her momentum knocked him over, and they rolled as they fell so that he ended up on top of her. She used that and his complete shock at being knocked over to quickly maneuver him into a triangle choke, lifting her hips just enough to apply pressure to his windpipe. She felt his whole body stiffen as his air was cut off, and he tried to struggle for a moment before realizing her hold was too strong, and gave her thigh two quick taps, yielding. She released him and rolled to her feet, stretching out a hand to help him up. He stared up at her for a moment before accepting her help.

“We good, kid?” He broke out into a grin, and laughed.

“Only if you promise to teach me that.” She nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Good fight, kid. You’ve got talent, now you just need to learn to use it.” Jughead moved forward now, and she faced him, swiping her arm across her forehead where it bled.

“What is the first law?” He was trying to prove that she belonged back, and she didn’t mind it. She’d recite the laws all day long if that was what it took.

“No Serpent stands alone.”

“What is the second law?”

“If a Serpent is killed or imprisoned, their family will be taken care of.”

“What is the third law?”

“A Serpent never shows cowardice.”

“What is the fourth law?”

“No Serpent is left for dead.”

“What is the fifth law?”

“A Serpent never betrays one of their own.”

“What is the sixth law?” Ali closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reciting what had always been her favorite of the Serpent laws, enough so that she’d gotten it tattooed around her Serpent.

“In unity, there is strength!” The rest of the Serpents echoed the law, filling her with the consuming sense of pride and belonging that she had always had as a part of them. She opened her eyes to see Jughead smiling at her, holding her jacket.

“You probably want to put this back on now, huh?”

“More than you know, Jughead.” She took it from him and slid it on, smiling at the cheers that rose around her.

“Alright, alright. I think this meeting is adjourned. Thanks for coming out everyone.” The Serpents all turned to leave, most of them stopping to congratulate Ali. Once most of them had left, Jughead turned to her. “Come on, we can head back to my trailer. Get that cleaned up. Plus, my dad’s there. I’m assuming you’ll want to see him again.”

“Of course.” He motioned for her to wait for a second while he went to talk to his girlfriend, whom he introduced as Betty Cooper, for a moment. She noticed how gentle he was with the blonde, cradling her face as though she was the most important thing in the world to him. She turned slightly, not wanting to intrude on their moment. Archie chose that moment to take his leave, saying something to Jughead about calling someone named Veronica. In a minute, Jughead walked up behind her.

“OK, let’s go. I’m assuming that was your bike I heard just before you walked into the camp, so you can just follow me to the trailer if you want. We had to get it moved from the trailer park to the land behind Cheryl’s house.”

“Cheryl Blossom, right?”

“Yeah, she’s our newest Serpent. Her and Toni are dating, it’s pretty cute to watch the two of them together. She used to be a complete bitch, but she softened up a lot after everything that went down. Her brother died last summer and then her dad died and then her mom turned out to be a crazy person and sent Cheryl to conversion therapy. We broke her out and she helped us avoid getting arrested, so we inducted her into the Serpents. She’s been a great fit so far, I think you’ll like her.” By this point, they had reached her bike, which was parked pretty close to his, so he left to go get his. She started the bike up and waited for him, the flutter of nerves starting up in her stomach again. She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t nervous to see FP again after this many years, and she was honestly almost terrified. She could hear his bike start up, and a moment she saw him pull out onto the side of the road. She drove up behind him, and he led the way to Thistle House, which she very vaguely remembered from her days in Riverdale. He parked the bike in front and she followed suit, dismounting and removing the helmet. “It’s back here, sort of in the trees. Dad wanted some semblance of privacy, so we live in the woods like a pair of witches or something.” She laughed, and he shot her a smile as he walked next to her, going through the trees until she caught sight of a trailer.

“How the hell did you even get that out here?”

“Cheryl helped us pay to get it towed out here. We tried to tell her it was fine, we’d figure out how to pay for it, but she insisted.” He opened the door, stepping inside, waving for her to follow him. “Hey dad, you might want to see who showed up to the Serpent meeting today.” FP rounded the corner and stopped dead, staring at Ali as the blood drained from his face. If anything, he looked better now, the cockiness of a teenager erased by time and replaced with the hardness of adulthood, but even filled with shock, his rich brown eyes held a touch of the mischief she’d loved about him. He seemed to get his breath back before he surged forward, wrapping her in a hug so tight she almost couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t mind, just wrapped her arms around him and squeezed just a tightly. He buried his face into the curve of her neck, and she was pretty sure he might be crying. Her own eyes were tearing up as he held her like he never wanted to let go. She didn’t either, because after so many years, she was back where she belonged. With her Serpents, and wrapped in FP’s arms.


	4. Chapter 4

The burn of the first drink of alcohol hit Ali’s throat, and she coughed a little. It had been awhile since she’d last had a drink, but the Serpents, especially the younger ones, had insisted. She hadn’t really put up much of a fight, she was happy and comfortable for the first time in years. She stood in the basement of Pop’s Chocklit Shop in the speakeasy that the Lodge girl, Veronica, had put together for the Serpents and the Bulldogs. The Serpents were here in full force, even some of the older ones. FP stood next to her, leaning against the bar, his arm resting behind her, just barely touching her back. Earlier in the trailer, he hadn’t let go of her for at least twenty minutes, and even when he had, he hadn’t stopped touching her. They’d sat at the table in the tiny kitchen and talked for hours, his hands never once letting go of hers. She told him how her father had found out she’d joined the Serpents when her idiot neighbor Malachi had accidently torn the arm of her shirt during a sparring match, revealing the Serpent with their 6th law tattooed on the side of her shoulder. How he’d dragged her out of Riverdale in the middle of the night with no time to warn FP or any of her other friends, how he’d stripped her of all communication, taken everything from her, and told her he wouldn’t stand for her being in a rival gang. It had taken years for her to be able to move out, to get away from him. She was honestly surprised he hadn’t made her get the tattoo removed, but maybe he’d thought just taking her away from them would be enough. FP had listened to all of his, his thumb rubbing the silver serpent ring she’d worn on the ring finger of her right hand ever since he’d gotten it for her.

He’d told her everything that had happened after she’d left. The Serpents had raised a cry of traitor, especially since Malachi had been tasked with spreading the rumor she’d joined the Ghoulies and had left fearing for her safety, but FP had fought for her. It had taken him a while, but he’d eventually convinced the Serpents that there was no way she would have deserted them. He told her how Alice had started showing interest in him, and after almost a year with no contact from Ali, they’d dated for about three months before it fell through. He’d gotten married to a Northsider, Gladys, and had Jughead and Jellybean (she laughed a bit at the nicknames, but even harder at their true first names, Forsythe and Forsythia) and how Gladys had taken Jellybean and left him. They’d spoken for hours until a knock on the door had interrupted them. FP stood to open it, standing back to allow a redhead in a cherry red leather jacket to stride into the trailer. She’d introduced herself as Cheryl Blossom and had stated that they were going to a place called the Underground and that Ali had to come. So here she was, alcohol in hand and surrounded by her friends.

She drained the rest of her drink and turned to ask the girl behind the bar, Toni, for a new one.

“I have to admit, I wouldn’t have pegged you as a vodka cranberry person, I would have assumed you’d like something harder.” Toni talked while she worked, soon placing another drink in front of Ali. FP laughed and smirked at Ali.

“Yeah, she looks tough on the outside, but she’s sweet on the inside. Which is obviously why she likes the fruity drinks.”

“Excuse you, sir, my fruity drink here has more alcohol content than that wheat juice you call a drink.” She’d missed this so badly, the way they used to verbally spar with each other. Toni suddenly grinned, leaning forward towards Ali.

“You must have all kinds of stories about FP here, don’t you?” Ali glanced over at FP. raising an eyebrow in his direction. He rolled his eyes, but smiled, so she took that as permission.

“Well for one, he’s a huge dork when it comes to movies. Absolutely loves them, he used to drag me to the theaters all the time. Should’ve seen him when Dirty Dancing came out.”

“I was not that bad.”

“I seem to remember you taking me down to Sweetwater River because we just ‘had’ to practice that scene.”

“You know you had as much fun with that as I did. Especially when we actually got it right.” His shoulders were shaking with silent laughter, his brown eyes completely lit up with happiness.

“Yeah, after you dropped me fifteen times.” She was laughing too, remembering the whole thing.

_“Babe, come on, it’s supposed to be a great movie.” FP had been trying to convince Ali to go see Dirty Dancing with him for at least two weeks, and he was slowly wearing her down._

_“It’s a movie about dancing. You know I hate dancing, FP.”_

_“Aww come on, baby. You know you’d have fun. Mostly just because I’d be with you.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and grinned at her, knowing full damn well what that smile did to her._

_“_ _Fine! Fine, we’ll go see the damn movie.” He laughed and lifted her up, spinning her in a circle. They’d been dating for a year and a half and he still acted like they’d just gotten together. They went to go see the movie that night, and of course they’d both ended up loving it. The next day he picked her up and took her to Sweetwater River for a picnic._

_“You know, I think we could totally do the lift they did in the movie last night.” He was lying flat on his back with her half on top of him, resting her head on his chest while he ran his fingers through her hair. She lifted her head and raised her eyebrow at him._

_“Is that why you dragged me all the way out here?” He faked taking offense, his mouth curving into an exaggerated pout._

_“How dare you insinuate that about me. I just wanted to have a pleasant lunch with my girlfriend, I would never have any ulterior motives.” He was fighting a smile by the end, mostly just because she was smiling and shaking her head at him._

_“You are such a dork, you know that?”_

_“That’s why you love me, babe.” She grinned and moved up to kiss him quickly, but he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back down._

_“If you want to practice that scene, you might want to let me up or we’re never getting out of here.” He laughed and released her, jumping up and grabbing her hand to tug her down to the river. They both pulled off their Serpent jackets, her tattoo showing. He rubbed his thumb along it, which he was in the habit of doing because he knew it drove her crazy and was one of the fastest ways of turning her on._

_“I’m going to push you in the damn river if you don’t quit doing that.” He smirked at her, but dropped his hand from her shoulder and waded into the river, holding out his hand. She grabbed it and slowly made her way into the river, wincing at the cold._

_“You’ll get used to it, I promise. Faster if you go all the way under.”_

_“Yes, because I’m totally going to voluntarily dunk myself in a freezing river, that makes perfect sense.” They’d practiced for a few hours, both of them falling in repeatedly until they finally got it right. She had to admit, it was a lot of fun, and his whoop of pure joy when they got it was totally worth how cold she was. They both waded out after getting it right a few times, shivering but happy._

She snapped out of her reverie, hearing the younger Serpents laughing.

“FP a dancer? I would not have pegged that one.”

“For the record Toni, I wasn’t a dancer, it was just the one movie.”

“ I seem to remember you talking about Footloose an awful lot too, FP.” Ali grinned at him as he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Traitor.” Her head turned as she heard the door open, Jughead and his girlfriend walking in, followed by none other than Alice Cooper. Ali stood up as Alice approached them, not fully noticing FP slide his arm around her waist protectively.

“Alissandra White. Looks like the prodigal finally returns.” Ali’s spine straightened as Alice’s sharp tone made its way through the slight fog of alcohol.

“Alice Cooper. Looks like you’re just as forthright as ever.” The two had gotten along well enough when they were younger, but evidently the years had turned Alice even more spiteful than she had been when they were teens. Alice looked Ali over, her eyes lingering where FP’s hand rested on Ali’s hip.

“Well you don’t look much different. I guess the years away did you well.” Alice’s eyes were full of open suspicion and anger. She apparently hadn’t accepted that Ali had left through no choice of her own, and she didn’t like that she was back. Betty, noticing what had been happening, quickly came over.

“Is everything ok over here?”

“It’s fine Elizabeth, run along.” The Serpents were slowly starting to crowd around, watching what was happening. “You think you can just walk back in here and automatically be allowed back?”

“You mean like you did, Alice? After you did your very best to tear the Southside down all these years? You don’t have much of a leg to stand on right now, so I suggest you leave. Now.” Jughead spoke up, the same sharp tone of authority that FP had and had used many times when Ali had been around. Alice rolled her eyes, but spun on her heel to leave, obviously knowing she’d been shut down for the moment.

“I am so sorry about her, she’s been having a hard time ever since my dad-” Betty’s face hardened at her mention of her father, and Ali reached out to squeeze her shoulder.

“It’s ok. She used to be like that all the time when we were growing up, it’s normal for her.” The atmosphere had shifted from fun to serious, so she figured it was as good a time as any. She pulled the note that had brought her back home out of her back pocket and set it on the bar. “Does anybody have any clue who could have sent this?” They all took turns grabbing the letter and reading over it.

“Obviously someone that knew about you and my dad. Which would be someone older since he never told any of us about you.” Jughead raised his eyebrow at his father accusingly, but Toni laughed.

“He never said anything to you, Jug. The rest of us knew about her. She’s Serpent legend, the first female to be initiated through the gauntlet instead of the dance.” She had grabbed the letter after Sweet Pea and was just reading it when Ali’s phone chimed with a text message at the same time as the young Serpent who she was pretty sure was called Fangs burst through the door, shouting something about the Ghoulies being outside the diner. Ali yanked her phone out of her packet and opened the text, nearly dropping her phone when she read it. **‘Come say hi, Ali. We missed you- Mal’**

“Shit.” She jerked up and ran out the door, FP right behind her, having seen the message on her phone over her shoulder. She ran up the stairs, shoving her way through the crowd inside the diner to push the front doors open. She was greeted by the sight of the Ghoulies in their jackets, all brandishing some form of weapon. Her old neighbor, Malachi - the reason she’d been forced to leave her home and her family, stepped forward, swinging a baseball bat and grinning at her, his face covered in paint.

“Hey there, neighbor. Long time no see. I’d heard you were back in town.” Alissandra could feel the Serpents gathering behind her, facing their greatest rivals, the people who had ripped them from their territory and their homes. And she was standing directly in the middle, FP right beside her, as he always had been.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You know I never associated with the Ghoulies, Malachi. And you know damn well I never will, so get the hell out of here.” The surrounding Ghoulies laughed, and she tensed. She didn’t want this to turn into a fight. They’d lose people, that she knew with every fiber of her being. They were outnumbered badly, but craving revenge against the Ghoulies. That was bound to end in mistakes, mistakes that could easily turn deadly.
> 
> “Only if you promise not to stay as far away. I don’t know what we’d do if you left us again. You’re still a part of this, whether you like it or not, little snake.” His tone matched hers, sharp and bitter. He hadn’t even tried to veil his threat, so she didn’t either.
> 
> “Don’t you know what happens when you get too close to a Serpent, Malachi? They’re more likely to bite. And the venom isn’t pleasant.” They stared at each other, a battle of the wills surrounded by tension that was dangerously close to boiling over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 everyone :) Thanks so much for keeping with me this long, I'm really hoping you like it! Please feel free to leave a comment, I'd appreciate it

_“Malachi. Long time no see. You know, after you ruined my life?”_

_“Aww, come on doll, you know that was an accident.” His smirk grew wider as her gaze burned into him._

_“I’m sure it was, Malachi.” Ali’s voice was sugary sweet and poisonous as he moved closer to her, FP tensing at her side. She could feel the Serpents moving behind her, and she held up her hand in a desperate attempt to get them to stand down before this escalated into something worse._

_“What do you want?”_

_“Just to say hey, baby. We missed you while you were gone.” His smirk was the same way it had always been, bitter and manic, and she hated the sight of it. He’d had the same look on his face when he had realized that he’d accidentally exposed her Serpenthood, and it brought back the sharp feeling of anger and devastation that had flooded through her._

_“You know I never associated with the Ghoulies, Malachi. And you know damn well I never will, so get the hell out of here.” The surrounding Ghoulies laughed, and she tensed. She didn’t want this to turn into a fight. They’d lose people, that she knew with every fiber of her being. They were outnumbered badly, but craving revenge against the Ghoulies. That was bound to end in mistakes, mistakes that could easily turn deadly._

_“Only if you promise not to stay as far away. I don’t know what we’d do if you left us again. You’re still a part of this, whether you like it or not, little snake.” His tone matched hers, sharp and bitter. He hadn’t even tried to veil his threat, so she didn’t either._

_“Don’t you know what happens when you get too close to a Serpent, Malachi? They’re more likely to bite. And the venom isn’t pleasant.” They stared at each other, a battle of the wills surrounded by tension that was dangerously close to boiling over. It felt like an eternity before he dropped his eyes, nodding. He waved his people back, but a few of them sent icy looks Ali’s way. She stood straight, glaring right back at them. If there was one thing she would never do, it was show weakness in front of the Ghoulies. It took about five minutes for the Ghoulies to completely leave the diner and she sighed in relief when the last of them stormed away._

A sharp snap yanked Ali out of her thoughts.

“What?” She was sitting on the couch in FP’s trailer, and the movie they’d been watching was paused. “What did I miss?”

“You started your thousand yard stare about 20 minutes ago, and I’ve been saying your name for at least five. Are you alright?” FP was watching her, concern evident in his features.

“Yeah. Just… I don’t know, I don’t like how it went down with the Ghoulies. They’ll be back.”

“And we’ll take care of it. We always did.” She smiled at him, a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. She’d been in Riverdale for 2 weeks now, staying with FP and Jughead, although Jughead was staying with Betty more often than he was at the trailer. She’d been back in town and with FP for about 3 hours when she realized she still loved him with everything she had. And if the looks he gave her when he thought she couldn’t see him were any indication, he still felt something for her. He’d gotten back into the habit of touching her whenever he could, the same way he had when they’d dated; little things, a gentle brush of his fingers on her back when he moved behind her, a hand on her shoulder when she was sitting down at the table. Even now, he didn’t hesitate to reach towards her and squeeze her hand comfortingly. She knew it was just habit with him, he’d always been touchy like that, but a part of her was hoping maybe he just wanted to touch her. She pulled her hand back the slightest bit, scrambling to change the subject.

“Oh, can you do me a favor? I left my phone in my bag in the kitchen, could you grab it?”

“What, you can’t go get it yourself?” He smirked at her as she glared at him.

“I’m comfortable.”

“So, am I babe.” She chose to ignore his slip of the pet name he’d always called her and kicked him in the thigh.

“Damn you, FP, can you please just go get my damn phone?” He laughed, something she’d never grow tired of hearing, and stood slowly, taking his sweet time.

“I guess I could, since you asked so nicely. Which will leave a bruise, thank you very much for that.” She grinned at him, shrugging.

“Well if you’d done what I asked in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to kick you.”

“Very well, your highness. Anything else?”

“Well now that you mentioned it, I am out of coffee.” He mumbled something about her being high maintenance, but held out his hand for her cup, which she gladly handed to him. He came back in a minute later, tossing her her phone, which she caught as he set the mug down next to her. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. We should probably talk about this, by the way.” She looked up at him to see the white envelope with the Serpent and her name on it in his hand, and she winced slightly.

“Yeah. We probably should. I’m pretty sure it didn’t come from a Serpent, but I don’t know who else could’ve found me.”

“You did stay pretty hidden. I tried to find you a few times, but I didn’t get anything back. Maybe one of the other Serpents had better luck.”

“But wouldn’t they have said something about it?” Something about the handwriting seemed like she should know it, but she didn’t know why. He moved closer to her so he could read the note over her shoulder, a move that had him putting his arm on the top of the couch right behind her shoulders.

“Not necessarily, but I doubt any of the younger ones would have tried because they don’t know you, and the older ones… Well I think they gave up after a few years.”

“I don’t blame them. I knew you all would at some point.” That damn handwriting was mocking her, it was familiar but it irritated the hell out of her that she couldn’t think of why.

“I didn’t.” His quiet statement seemed to echo through the room, even though it was so quiet she barely heard it.

“What?” He shot a quick smirk her way.

“I didn’t stop looking. Here, I’ll show you what website I tried to use, even.” He fished his phone out of his pocket, messing it with it for a second before turning it to face her.

“Well that’s not creepy at all. Can it seriously-” She was halfway through her sentence when the screen on his phone had redirected from the “We can help you find who you’re looking for” message to a Youtube video. Specifically, Rick Astely’s Never Gonna Give You Up. “Oh, you are such an _asshole_.” He laughed so hard he had to lean forward to catch his breath, and she smacked his shoulder. “This is exactly the shit you pulled when we were younger, I don’t even know why I love you.” She snapped her mouth shut, hoping to god he hadn’t heard what she’d just said. Sadly, she wasn’t so lucky, because he sobered up almost immediately and stared at her.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I didn’t say anything. You were laughing so hard you must’ve heard something.” A slow smirk worked its way up his mouth as she tried to lie her way out of it.

“You’re a terrible liar, you always have been.”

“I will have you know, I lied all the time and no one ever found out, thank you very much.”

“I’ll revise, you’re a terrible liar around me.” She rolled her eyes, sighing at him.

“Self confident much?”

“Well you did just say you loved me, so I think I have the right.” Damn, he actually had heard her.

“I didn’t really mean it that way, people say I love you all the time without really meaning it.” He was still laughing at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“You sure about that?” He moved closer, putting his hand very deliberately on her left shoulder right where he tattoo was, moving his thumb in a slow circle.

“Yep, I’m pretty sure.” She was hoping the years apart would have helped, but she still reacted to his hand on her shoulder like a damn teenager. She quietly fumed at herself until he leaned even closer and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, successfully shutting her thoughts up. She reacted faster than she hoped she would, her mouth moving with his. Sooner than she’d have liked, he pulled away.

“Still sure about not meaning it?” She almost growled in frustration, and he laughed.

“You’re an asshole.”

“You said that already.”

“Just making sure you’re aware.” It was when he kissed her again that it clicked in her head. The handwriting. It was Malachi’s. She’d only seen his handwriting a few times, which is probably why it had taken her so long to recognize it, but she was nearly certain it was his. Right about then was when FP gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and all other thoughts flew out of her head as she kissed him back.

“I missed you.” He was completely serious now, no trace of joking in his voice or his eyes. She smirked at him, turning the tables on him and being the one to diffuse the situation.

“Damn straight. I’m a delight to be around.” He rolled his eyes at her and laughed, moving back to the other side of the couch.

“Now who’s the asshole?”

“Obviously still you, FP. You’re always an ass.” He was opening his mouth to retort when the door opened, four teens crowding into the trailer. Jughead had his arm around Betty, who smiled at Ali, and Archie was holding hands with a dark haired girl she assumed was Veronica.

“Well, I’m going to take that as my cue to leave before it gets any more crowded in here.” Jughead looked apologetic, but she waved him down with a smile. “You’re fine, Jug. I have something I want to check out really quick anyways.” With a quick goodbye to everyone in the trailer, she grabbed the letter off the table where FP had set it and slid out the door, shutting it behind her.

As soon as she was outside, she let out a deep breath, smiling despite her attempts to look serious. Her heart was still pounding from FP’s kiss, and it took the five minute walk to her bike before she calmed down enough that her mind started running back through the information she’d figured out. Malachi had sent her the letter, she was at least 95% sure of that. The question was why, and how in the hell had he found her? She’d done her best to stay out of the system, and she’d prided herself on that. Yet someone had gotten to her, the Ghoulies of all people. Well, only one way to find to find out. She grabbed her helmet and kicked her bike to life, chewing briefly on her lip. She’d seen the graffiti on the outside of the Wyrm, it was a safe bet that some of the Ghoulies, if not Malachi himself, would be there. She rode there, angrier by the second, so much so that she didn’t notice the station wagon that was always one or two streets behind or to the side of her, but always following her.

The Whyte Wyrm, a place that had been a place of solitude and safety for Ali throughout her time as a Serpent, was definitely the new place the Ghoulies were hanging around, the place was crawling with them. She took a deep breath, tugging her Serpent jacket a little tighter around her shoulders and steeling herself with the same deep, burning anger she’d felt when she had seen what they had done to the Wyrm the first time she’d driven past it. She made sure she turned her phone off before walking towards the front door, false confidence oozing from her. They took notice of her when she was about 10 feet from the door, but they didn’t say anything. Just moved aside, allowing her entry into the Wyrm. Into the heart of the rival gang that had just killed a number of Serpents and wouldn’t mind killing another.

Her last thought before she walked in was hoping she’d be able to walk back out of these doors once she walked inside.


End file.
